Engine replacement ideas for the 2007 Ram 1500

[Kern Dog]

http://[URL]https://www.ebay.com/itm/165520600589

[/URL]

Grab that engine and since you’re gonna tear it down, use these Eagle heads. Problem solved.

Won't these bump the compression from the 9.6 ratio to 10.5?

 

[Dodge Bros]

Won't these bump the compression from the 9.6 ratio to 10.5?

Eagle heads are 65 cc, pistons run a dish, 2003-2008 are 85cc, piston have a slight dome. Eagle heads on a older engine would be over 11.5 with the same pistons. Normally you would switch pistons.

I doubt they staked your heads when it was worked on. I blew a radiator and got one of my 5.7s hot, and did not loose a seat. Overheating is when the seat issues are the most vulnerable.

With the thin 1.5 mm rings and lite weight rotating assembly on a 5.7 the cylinders don’t wear much. The metal is crap compared to our old Mopar engines though. Still, I bet you would be surprised how nice the cylinder’s look even at nearly 400K miles.

 

[Kern Dog]

This engine family is new to me. I did buy a book pertaining to the 3G Hemi engines but I think it might have been written by the guy that perpetuated the 440 thin wall bullshit.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Run a tad bit thicker head gasket. Compression ratio solved.

 

[F4R/T]

I will say from personal experience, early ones could drop a valve seat, or break a valve spring , others had the timing chain recall , newer 13-15 ish are lifters and cams. The blocks were barely worn with 7-10k hours and poor maintenance. I did see some with cam bearing issues when replacing the cam and lifters. I do see truck engines pop manifold studs on each end as well. I felt these engines were well engineered and aside from these issues I own several. The 6.1 is my favorite.

 

[Kern Dog]

http://[URL]https://www.ebay.com/itm/165520600589

[/URL]

Grab that engine and since you’re gonna tear it down, use these Eagle heads. Problem solved.

The teardown was in initially planned to just include pulling the heads for a rebuild and to have the seats "staked" and possibly just leaving the bottom end as is. That may change, of course.
The Eagle heads seem to have been designed to allow more compression but work in conjunction with a dished piston to allow adequate piston to valve clearance given the VVT system. With my 2003-2008 slightly domed pistons, valve to piston clearance isn't yet an issue with the stock cam but the spike in compression ratio concerns me a bit. Some say it jumps almost 2 points from 9.6 to 11.5. That would mean premium fuel all the time, right? I know that these heads are far more efficient than our old fashioned LA and B/RB heads are but how much is too much?

Run a tad bit thicker head gasket. Compression ratio solved.

I did that trick with my red car. 11.0 to one with a .039 head gasket or 10.1 with a .075. It worked but I wondered if it was a band aid.
The other option is a piston swap.
I'm not a broke dick but I'd rather not get into a habit of peeling off a bunch of $100 bills for this if I don't need to.

Is the bolt pattern for the intake and exhaust the same with the 2003-2008 and the Eagle heads? This is very important.

This truck has catalytic converters near the manifolds then it merges into a single pipe...into another converter, then the single inlet muffler, then it splits into 2 tailpipes. I don't think headers would help much when I'm limited to a single pipe.
I'm picking up the engine tomorrow. Teardown may begin immediately.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Bolt pattern is the same.

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm reading that the Eagle heads don't have provisions for EGR. That alone is a deal breaker. The truck has to remain emissions legal.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Copied from LX Forum……..

the Eagle heads will bolt on directly to the pre Eagle block. But you will need head gaskets because the compression will be too high with stock pistons, Eagle valve covers,longer pushrods Eagle or 6.1 intake manifold and of course a tune

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks Zack but you missed the part about remaining emissions legal. The Eagle heads having no EGR kills the deal for me.

 

[RemCharger]

I wonder if all the bosses are there but would need to be machined out for the egr valve.

 

[5.7 hemi]

I did read that, that’s why I posted a “copy” of what I found in LX Forums so others would see it.

 

[Kern Dog]

The project begins.

I paid the man and his lackey loaded it up. Funny how resourceful some people can be.

They looped a seat belt around the rear of the exhaust manifolds and one around the water pump snout.

I’ve seen videos where dudes have just used a cross chain attached with one M12 bolt at each end of the head. The bosses that they thread into are not robust. I’d wig out if I dropped an engine after trusting such a small pick point. I’ve lifted a few big block-727 combinations with that carburetor pad lift plate…that is with four 5/16” bolts but they are in stress pulling UP. This one bolt per head idea seems like it places too much side stress on the head boss.

Tear down begins. Inside the oil filler looked a lot cleaner than mine.

 

[Kern Dog]

Of course everything is metric.
It was burning some oil.

Everything is coming apart easily so far.
There are a few broken exhaust manifold studs as expected.

I’ve heard that the heads have to be off to get to the lifters. I see why now.

Lots of carbon on the pistons for a “83,000” mile engine.

 

[Kern Dog]

I cleaned the carbon/oil off of the pistons.

There is still some cross hatch.
Tan colored exhaust valves usually means complete combustion, right ?

At first I thought the last owner used different spark plugs throughout the engine based on how a few of them had recessed electrodes.

No. All of the plugs were the same. They just weren’t threaded in all the way. It is obvious that nobody used anti- seize on the plugs.

I took some PB Blaster and slowly cranked back and forth with the ratchet to clean the threads.

 

[5.7 hemi]

There’s 2 bosses that are threaded under the intake. I made “hoop” to get my engine chain hook to lift the entire engine. I’ve done 5.7’and a 6.1 with it. Works great!

 

[Kern Dog]

The Bottom end has been rebuilt. It looks like they went .015 over with Mahle pistons.

Cylinder #7 has some damage.

I’m curious about this. I wonder if this engine had a valve seat go on cylinder 7…Maybe these heads aren’t original either.
There is no ridge on any cylinder. The pick marks on #7 piston shouldn’t pose a problem. That cylinder had both spark plugs recessed/not screwed in all the way. Could this be detonation due to improper combustion? All the other pistons and cylinders look great.

 

[Kern Dog]

There’s 2 bosses that are threaded under the intake. I made “hoop” to get my engine chain hook to lift the entire engine. I’ve done 5.7’and a 6.1 with it. Works great!

Are these what you mean?

Those are adequate? They are so small!

 

[5.7 hemi]

Yes, that’s the boss, but I don’t see the second one. They are 180 out from each other, one on each side of the cam tunnel.

 

[5.7 hemi]

I see it now, the wiring harness has that plastic push in tab inside of it.